Second SAARC Home Secretaries meet held

Chairing the meeting, Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta warmly welcomed the participation by Afghanistan, the newest member state of the SAARC.

In keeping with the spirit of decisions taken at the 14th SAARC Summit held in New Delhi in April to move SAARC from the declaratory to the implementation stage, the Secretaries had constructive and focused deliberations identifying specific areas for cooperation.

The meeting reviewed the progress in the implementation of the decisions of the first meeting of SAARC Home Ministers held at Dhaka on May 11, 2006.

The meeting noted with appreciation that most of the decisions taken at the last Ministerial Meeting have been implemented.

They also reviewed the progress in the implementation of the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and Additional Protocol, SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and SAARC Conventions on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution.

At the 14th SAARC Summit early this year, the Heads of Government had emphasised the importance of increased cooperation in security related areas, especially the need to combat terrorism, narcotics and psychotropic substances, trafficking in women and children and other trans-national crimes.

They had also expressed their commitment to take every possible measure to prevent and suppress, in particular, financing of terrorist acts and counter illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and illicit arms.

Second meeting of SAARC Home/Interior Ministers will be held tomorrow. (ANI)